Of Ellipses and Thunderclaps
by EvergreenSeed
Summary: When he ripped out her heart and her love for him along with it, she never expected a shoulder to cry on, much less the shoulder to be fur-clad. After a year long escapade with her savior, what will become of her relationship with Natsu? And Laxus, for that matter?
1. Chapter 1

(A.N.) Hello, thanks for reading. This isn't my first work but my first one finally posted upon the site. I'm very far into the actual writing of the story and the next chapters will be posted promptly. Please feel free to review. Any constructive criticism is greatly welcomed. Again thank you.

* * *

A sigh slid out of her mouth, to fall heavily, like a sack of bricks among the cherry petals. It was dusk out in the courtyard behind fairy tail's main building, but even being the cherry trees could not lighten her mood.

Natsu had been avoiding her lately. Not in his usual prankster way either.

The rare times she did see him it was in brief passing, hasty on his side without even a "Hey Luce~" before jovially continuing on his way. No dragging to the mission board. No hopping through bedroom windows. Not even his scent of campfire and linen lingered through her kitchen at three in the morning.

Yes. It was true. She missed her personal firecracker.

Having had enough sulking (or simply a change of scenery, she had not decided), she trudged back to the main hall for her vanilla shake, this time, with rum in it.

"Miss Lucy! Please be careful!"

She paid the river men no heed as she drunkenly teetered on the wall between the river and the sidewalk. Giggling and swaying,she maneuvered home from half-witted memory and tripped up the stairs, barreled into her front door.

It opened from the inside, leaving her to fall hard onto the cold hardwood floor.

Her blurred vision had no time to register the pink-haired man in front of her as Natsu.

"So Lucy, this is how I find you. As tipsy and dainty as usual." His words were laced with venom. His coal eyes burned through her thin shirt, her short skirt like the fire he could kill with.

"Natsu!" She picked up herself up clumsily, immediately falling into his arms for the best hu-

She fell right out of them. No, she wasn't THAT drunk. He simply did not catch her.

"Natsu, what th-"

"I'm sick of it."

She opened up to retaliate but a swift hand held her off.

"You are never without needing scraping up Lucy. It's either you're calling out your Spirits to do most of the work or you're using your best skill to try and fail to assault the enemy. Or you're here, like putty in my hands."

His tone was that of being in battle. The only time when he was truly serious. If Lucy wasn't sobered up then she wouldn't be. Ever.

"You see Lucy Heartfilia, I came to tell you personally that your contribution to our team will no longer be necessary. Lisanna will do a much better job."

She stood up. She straightened herself. And she slapped Natsu for all her strength.

He didn't even shift an inch.

Instead it became her whose was thrown against the wall. Natsu holding her lightly by the neck, pressing against her sinful yet naive curves.

"I'm sick and tired of playing hero for the girl who can't get her shit together. Sick and tired of defending a girl who enjoying being treated like a leg o' ham on display. In fact,"

He pressed on her, the wall hard enough to bruise.

"I think it's time for a bit of reciprocation. No...retribution." He hissed against her ear, sending shivers up her spine, before diving into her neck.

Her landlady was on vacation that week.


	2. Chapter 2

Lucy awoke in her bed.

She did not rise until the sun went down.

* * *

Lucy awoke on her floor.

She counted the dots in the ceiling until the sun went down.

* * *

Lucy awoke in her tub.

She showered until her skin was raw and fell to sleep inside the tub, not caring if she drowned.

* * *

Lucy awoke in the tub to the sound of the door being bust open.

"Lucy! Blondie! You dead in here?!" The voice was deep, resonating off the walls. Loafers struck the floor toward her hiding place. She tensed up, waiting for that door to get blown into splinters.

It opened normally. Much to her chagrin.

Laxus' head poked in. He had on the usual, dark button down and slacks. That coat you could spot from a mile away.

"Oh god, what the hell!" He ran out like a cheetah with ADHD, to return with her bathrobe, the strain of worry marring his usual arrogance.

"Who did this to Blondie?" He spat, swaddling her in the robe and his own fur lined coat. not caring if the pus seeped through, before sweeping her out of her home, down the stairs and out into the grandeur.

The scene still lay undisturbed. She was yanked back into the 28th replay of that night.

The heat, the bites, the kisses. The graze of the kitchen knife that fell near her naked thighs. How she screamed that he cease, how she screamed for him. How he held her like the best porcelain doll he'd ever break.

She could not flip the proverbial coin.

Lucy fell into a stupor in Laxus' arms. Which was not hard, when you're being held like a wounded feather.

* * *

The smell of antiseptic and fresh linen woke her up.

'Fairy Tail?' Her mottled mind managed to come to a conclusion. The fairies that danced the wallpaper of her infirmary room told her so.

The burning coal in her throat said drink the water on the nightstand.

Yet she was (thankfully) stopped by a dark blue sleeved arm coming at her with it, followed by its lightning scarred owner.

"Lay back down. You've been through enough."

She drunk the whole pitcher before following orders, not caring within five hells if she looked silly.

"Laxus...what's happened.." She managed through the heat and the pain medication. Most of it was blurry only...the incident stood out. And how she acquired the painless stitches holding her thigh together.

"Why, the whole of Fairy Tail has forgotten you've existed. They're too busy singing Lisanna's praises." A pair of loafers were thrown up on the side railings on the bed.

"How long has it been since?" Her voice was vapor compared to Laxus' thunderclap.

"I haven't seen you for a month since you walked out of here drunk off your ass. Should have walked you home." A elbow rose to rest on the edge of the thin mattress, eyes hidden by a hand.

Heat rose inside her chest. "Why didn't you?"

No reply. She scoffed and turned away.

"Why can I smell Flameboy on you?"

Ice ran through her. The memories ransacked her, agonizingly undistorted by sleep.

"Nothing." She choked out, barely flying under the radar as a normal response

Laxus' ears, without saying, had caught on "Blondie...if you don't tell me I will go down there and get him mys-"

"NO!" She leapt out of bed, tugging the thin but still healing gash too far for comfort, the covers finally falling from her shoulders, turning red at the thighs from the reopened wound.

Raised eyebrows watched her pant, chest heaving in pain and overexertion, blue eyes stormy with uncertainty. Wasn't flameboy her partner. What happened that would have her holed up for a month in her bathtub?

"Don't get him. I-I can't."

"Can't?" He slumped further into the hard chair.

"Won't." She sobbed out, gritting her teeth to keep tears back.

"Then don't. Stay weak, Blondie." He got up to go.

She watched him replace his coat upon his shoulders, stride towards the door and open it before yelling on her perpetually strained vocal cords,

"WAIT!" She threw her hands forward as if to catch a sleeve.

The door closed. He returned to his seat. She took her breath.

By the time the story got out of her she had been fighting tears of nor joy nor sorrow.

Laxus blinked. In that same time span, he was out her door, around the corner, down the hall, through the doors of the main hall, and throwing a hard punch at Natsu's head.

He flew, making a Natsu-shaped dent in the brick walls. The attendees made quick work of getting the hell out of the way. They learned quickly never to get into a fight between dragon slayers. Or interrupt Erza's and Mystogan's cake time.

"So.." He peeled himself off of the wall, shaking the dust off like it never happened, like an everyday occurrence. It practically was.

"Is the fight I've been asking for or something else?"

"Damn straight. Scum-of-the-earth." Laxus" electricity danced around him, his coat, sending arcs around the room.

"Whoa, Sparky. Calm down..." Cana called off from the far end of the bar, pausing from the barrel of honey mead she was guzzling.

"Be quiet, drunkess." He turned back to Natsu, whose usual devil-may-care attitude was AWOL.

"You know what? I've lost my respect for you, you little firefly. I don't care how you get to sleep at night, to you who lives on the principle of nakama , could do that to Lucy!"

The crowd gathered gasped, with Levy thundering away as fast as her tiny legs could get her to Lucy's room, short blue hair bobbing with the impact.

Natsu stared claymores at Laxus, barely contained rage lighting his eyes.

"I don't care how you plan to wreck Lisanna's life either, but damn well, Lucy is off your team! She's my nakama now! An-"

"Who are you to decide that?!" Natsu barked back.

"I can do that because it's to protect her! Unlike you," Laxus slips into the dragons' tongue, "**who not only beat her but raped her**!"

The crowd is left in confusion, but two.

"Iron Dragon's Roar!" A flurry of shrapnel and wind shot toward Natsu, knocking him back. Without rest, a thick chain, wrought from Gajeel's own iron bound him.

"**Let me reassure you firefly, why they call me Gajeel of Black Steel**."

Wendy shook with anger. Even she found it difficult not to beat him senseless. She left with Carle and Happy begging her to tell what was said.

Running towards the infirmary, she cried to no-one in particular...

"**To think I could you call brother**!"


	3. Chapter 3

The next few days were unbearably lonely. The Dragon Slayers regularly circled the hall, making sure not a trace of Natsu got within 5 feet of Lucy. Though most still were simply milling rumors around the Fairy Tail grapevine which is about fifty times faster than the average hair salon's.

Many of which being too outlandish to even mention.

"Gajeel! Let me out of here!" She banged the door, she had been ready to get out of that stuffy room for a while now, but Gajeel had stood pit-bull since she got up.

"Noope." She bet he had a smirk on his studded face.

But before she could get a piece of her mind out, he stomped off down the hallway.

"Arrrgh!" She cried in frustration and stomped back to her impeccably made bed, sat, and pouted.

She amused herself by cleaning her keys, which never left her side, until they were shiny enough to blind Aria.

"Blondie!"

'Oh god,' She hoped he wasn't coming to pester her any further with his teasing.

The iron bars fell from the door(courtesy of Gajeel Security Inc.) and entered-

"What's up, jumper cable?" She wisecracked. If this is how they were going to communicate, they she would make sure it was done thoroughly.

"Thunder Thighs."

"Live-wire."

"Shirley Temple."

"Static Shock."

"Airhead."

"Magic Mike."

"Vegas."

"Could you two stop it for an hour, at least please? You're giving me a headache." Makarov strolled through the door, with a grin on his face that only the knowing could have.

"Shut it, Jii-Jii." The giant rolled his eyes.

"Anyway," The Slayer flopped ungraciously into the chair next to the bed, coat luxuriously preventing immediate bedsores. "We need to talk, Blondie." The ever-present Sound Pods came off.

"I'm not cuttin' corners, not sugar coatin' none of that," Lucy tensed up, visibly. "Tell me, have you decided what happened. Do not say anything to make Natsu look good or I just might decide for you." For a such heavy speech, he said like it was just idle chatter at the bar.

The words caught in Lucy's throat. He was asking so many things. What to say? And how?

"Oi," A hand ran through perpetually spiky hair. "To make things easier so you don't pop a brain cell, like you have any more," A quick thwap at his head(half-heartedly dodged) stopped his sentence. "Yes he did, or no he did not." Again tossing skeletons like daisies

Like the obscenely oversimplified decision made it easier. She wracked her intellect, looking for answers she didn't have, information she lost due to a few vanilla-and-rum milkshakes. But still after two weeks of conscious scale tipping,

"He walks. Natsu, that is."

Laxus rechecked to make he had taken his sound pods off. Certainly-

"You can't be serious."

She looked away from her precious speck on the floor, and looked at Laxus dead in the eyes with the strength to move mountains. See-through but there.

"Knowing Natsu, he's probably teetering on the line between paranoid and bat-shit crazy with the mere thought that he's laid ill hands on me. The thought of hurting his most precious nakama. Let him go, wherever you got him locked up, and bring him here, the guilt has probably killed him thrice."

With a huff, and much to Lucy's exasperation and Makarov's indifference, he left with a bang.

Makarov simply hopped of the bed, stretched and left, laughing the whole way.

* * *

The long ass stairs down to Fairy Tail's prison hold had given him a long ass time to think, that is if he stopped skipping steps.

Why did he rush to save lovely Lucy in the first place, and now why was he drudging down the stairs to get this hatchling? Should he be raising hell down here before the midget's exile?

But Lucy let him walk.

"I can smell you, Shocky. Tell what's happened or come and kill me here."

Natsu's haunted voice drifted up the stairs. Laxus continued his leisurely saunter.

After finally arriving at the boy's cell (which looked more like a hotel) one could fully behold the disturbed state of the Salamander.

Pink hair, slicked back with the sheer might of filth. T-shirt and sweats having seen better days. But most disconcerting were his eyes, which were looking too hard at the cartoons on the wall that the TV wasn't even on.

"Natsu," Laxus chucked a set of clothes his way. "Clean up, Lucy wants to see you."

"..." He simply shuffled toward the bathroom.

"Is she okay?" Before the door closed.

"She has a mask up. She's probably just like you."

"..."

The shower ran. Laxus sat in the living chair, pondering about nothing.

* * *

The room's air was so thick you needed a diamond plated chain saw to cut through it.

Only Natsu and Lucy stood in the middle of the floor.

Like a fight about to happen.

Lucy was inflicted with indifference. Natsu was picking loose scales, some beginning to bleed with the force of his tugs.

"...It's done."

Natsu's head snapped up. Her glare was hard and stern.

"It's done. In the past. I enjoyed it." A porcelain smile. A kiss on the cheek as small feet walked past him.

And, for now, out of his life.

A low, sad roar escaped his throat as Lucy, with her mask, did nothing as tears fell.


	4. Chapter 4

(A.N.) Hello, fairies. Just thank you for continuing this far. I forgot to add a disclaimer. That being said **I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL, NOR ANY RECOGNIZABLE CHARACTERS. **Please review if you have the time. Again thank you.

* * *

It was two days later when she found herself packing her bags.

A backpack with a few sets of traveling clothes and pajamas, stationary and all the other things she couldn't bear to leave behind. Her landlady had her keys (and a sum of rent money, pulled from her RIDICULOUS inheritance) and her things were all put away into her now pad locked bedroom.

She would be back. Just needed time.

She shouldered the pack, added to her strongest belt, her recently upgraded keyring, and her whips. She turned off the heat, gas and water and closed, for the last time in a long time, her house door.

Then became the long pre-dawn walk to Fairy Tail.

It had seemed a funeral march.

* * *

Makarov simply stared. One of his daughters was leaving home.

"I'll be back within a year." She gave her porcelain smile.

"Are you sure?" He sighed, reaching into his drawer for the stamp.

She nodded assent.

Getting up (or down) from his chair, Lucy held out her hand.

Makarov pressed it over the pink Fairy and it vanished. Mostly.

"This mark means that you are an inactive member of the guild.," He said, putting the stamp back. She turned her hand back and forth as the outline of the Fairy lit and faded in pink.

"Please cover it, and do remember you carry our name still."

"Yes, sir. Thank you."

The doors opened by themselves revealing a rather irritated Laxus who was also packed for a long trip.

"And leave without me? You're nuts, Blondie."

"I didn't ask for your accompaniment, Laxus."

"But you got it. A woman does not travel kami-knows-where by herself. I'm not doing for my health."

Lucy somehow turned pink at that. Laxus rolled his eyes.

Makarov chuckled. "Well, why not? Maybe you two co-"

"Stop there, jii-jii."

Makarov, still chuckling, went to stamp Laxus as well.

"A year or less! Got me!?"

The two waved away. Makarov looked out the window toward the rising sun.

It was halfway on a leisure walk to the train station, that finally Lucy got to the question:

"Why really are you coming with me, Laxus?"

He simply switched his playlist. "Because Natsu said you were always first to fall. I will make you last or damn near it..."

That was last of the conversation. Until Laxus realized where he was walking. With the expression of someone watching a puppy being murdered, he stormed off.

"Oh hell no." By the time she turned around he was halfway out of sight.

"LAXUS!"

* * *

He was not sure when he got to the train station, much less the platform. But his head was already pounding.

"Blondie..." He gulped out between waves of pain.

"Hmm?" She raised an eyebrow, taking no mind from the magazine she brought though.

"You owe me big." What was so wrong with walking to the next town over? Fresh air and nice sights and the ground didn't move from underneath you! Perfect-

The train rolled in.

Poor Laxus.

After some coaxing (more like a cattle prod), They were on the train, stuff in the overhead in a compartment to themselves.

Lucy looked on, perplexed. Why was Laxus so irritated about taking the train for? It was faster than walking, and the faster they get away from Fairy Tail, the better.

The train sat for a few, before lurching forward.

Laxus' head was out the window looking rather green.

'Ohhh.' She had totally forgot that Laxus after all was a Slayer. Consequently not three minutes (or was it three hours? Days?) into the 7 hour train ride he was a sweaty mess.

"Laxus..."

"Hmm..?" His stomach decided to do the Charleston and decided to bring his friends acid and bile with him..

"Come." He, very slowly, turned his head. Lucy had motioned for him to lie down. Next to her. On her lap.

Oh, what the hell.

Before she started complained, he complied to her idea, wearing his coat like a blanket, while he lay on the bench (or what could fit) head on her thighs.

Nausea averted. Mission accomplished.

Lucy just marveled at how such a big guy became a big ass baby in less than 2 minutes.

"Don't laugh at me, Blondie." She did anyway.

* * *

The trip to the hotel mostly consisted of Laxus (still not feeling all that great) getting dragged from shop to shop before getting dragged to the small cozy inn, not too far from the East Gate of a small travellers town. The front desk was bustling, with travelers and mages alike.

It took awhile to wrestle their way to the front desk, with all the people lounging in front of it. Laxus was currently using it as a head prop.

"Hello, welcome to the Sunrise In- is he ok?" The receptionist gave a Laxus a slight concerned look.

"He'll be fine. We'd like two rooms-"

"Oh, I don't think so Blondie."

She glared at him. He raised his head enough to fit into his palm, still a bit nauseous.

"This ain't Magnolia Town. You room with me."

"But..." She stammered

"One room."

The world's most abusive staring match started. The receptionist sweatdropped.

Guess who won?

* * *

"You're impossible." She put the key into the slot. Laxus, leaning against the wall, laughed.

"You're insane."

"And how is that, oh mighty Laxus? Why can't I be myself without your interference?" She damned near broke the key. Laxus reached over and twisted it the other way, and the door gently unlocked.

"Was that so hard?" She punched him in the shoulder with, to him, the strength of the average housefly.

When the door opened, their heads reeled.

It was a small thing, with a kitchenette and a dining area up front, with a bathroom off to the side. But that wasn't it. The bedroom only possessed a single large bed.

"Dibs!" Laxus found the couch in about three seconds , flopped on it and switched his playlist.

Lucy made no attempt to even ask if he wanted the bathroom first. He was deaf to the world. Especially with Queen playing.

* * *

It was around 11 when the subject of the bed rolled around.

"Take it, Laxus, you're too big for the couch." She snatched one of the pillows and walked for the couch, when two big hands grabbed her tiny waist and yanked her back into the bed, threw the covers over her and her head, and their owner said "G'night" and was out of it in less than ten minutes.

Lucy, spent the rest of the hour wondering what was this man's problem was.

Pillows didn't breathe.

RIGHT?

Because she possessed a lightly tanned one with black stitches that looked an awful lot like- Oh no.

She shot out of the bed, like a spring loaded Energizer bunny, running around the room like a chicken with it's head lopped off.

Until she got cracked by a pillow shaped cannonball.

"You are loud." Laxus was standing up, stretching in only a pair of black sweats.

She watched, turning pink. What the hell does the guy do for a workout? Mountain lifting?

She got cracked by another pillow, inciting (meaningless) phrases of dislike.

"But when I stare at your chest, you can get angry?" Laxus muttered, crossing the room to his own bag

"You stared?" She turned pink as a rose.

He snickered at her, man was this girl easy to-

"LUCY KICK!"

He regretted it for three whole days after the fact.


	5. Chapter 5

(A/N) Hello fairies. Just a few things before we sidle on. First off thanks for your precious reviews, they are appreciated, and by that way, the ending of chapter 3 was brought to my attention. And to that, I say that the ending to said chapter was intended to be ambiguous. In fact, looking in retrospect (as this chapter was long-written before this post) a lot of things moving forward are up to your interpretation. Moreover, this chapter and the next are formatted slightly different. The time since our pair's departure will be in bold and/or underlined for your understanding, as well as sectioned by the lovely horizontal line button. Other than that, no that's it, thank you for reading!

* * *

**One week.**

"Oi, Blondie, you got to give it more than that."

She gave her all. And half of tomorrow's. He was making her run laps around a small lake and had been for the last few days. Along with climbing trees, fighting lessons and sparring, she thought she was in the devil's den.

Naw. Just Laxus' training.

She collapsed on the 8th lap. He yelled, from his shady spot under an oak, "Get back up Blondie! You got two mo-"

"I know!" She struggled back to her feet, vision blurry, lungs burning with sheer exertion. But she did not quit. She jogged those last two laps, using the fury of betrayal to finish the fight, before falling into a vomiting, sweaty mess by the lake.

It was the same fire that she would never let go of.

* * *

**One month.**

She stepped from under the waterfall, wrung her finally washed hair out and pranced naked over to her clothes.

The top was loosening from being washed too many times and the skirt was beginning to look like a belt. She threw them to the wind, and pulled her travel clothes on, a thin linen track suit that she'd had seen as mere house clothes before. Those days were long gone.

She felt a presence behind her, one that did not smelled of pine needles and humidity.

"Hey on'na!" She turned to find a horde of thirsty-looking men, but not for that of water's concerns. "Mind showing me and my friends a good time?"

She pulled her whip from her bag, ready to strike but the sound of thunder overhead beat her to it.

"Lightning Storm!" A huge ball of static appeared and shocked the piss out of the ill-intentions men who scrambled away before Lucy could even raise a finger.

"And this is why I don't leave you alone in the woods." He turned away, back to his hiding spot up in some poor tree.

"Hey! Spark plug!" A set of branches moved revealing him and his precious coat. "Thanks."

"Your boobs are still showin'." She looked, shrieked and zipped the hoodie up, while Laxus laughed loud enough to scare the birds.

* * *

**Three Months.**

It was at a campfire in the mountains she got his first gift from him.

It was a sound pod with headphones in the shape of stars with yellow glitter flowing inside. All of his songs were there along with the ones she could not stop humming.

It was in its original package and everything, not even a flimsy bow slapped on or around it. Not a "For Lucy" scrawled in a corner in Laxus' sharp, slanted handwriting.

It was enough to get the point across.

She squealed across the camp and straight into Laxus' arms making him drop the firewood in his hand. After world's shortest hug (she knew how he was about them. Not good.) and a peck on the cheek she flew off again to spent 20 minutes figuring the device out.

"Huh..." She never done that before.

'Note to self,' Laxus thought. 'Buy her more stuff.'

* * *

**Five Months.**

It was a calm (well, relatively speaking) day at Fairy Tail. Beer, wine and mead was flowing, people were talking and arguing, Natsu and Gray were fighting. Freed and Levy were spazzing out over some new book that came out that they finished the hour after hence. Cana and Bacchus (who came to visit the drunkess) were gettin' into a long discussion on ale v.s. lager.

Until the door flew open.

"Natsu Dragneel!" The owner of the voice stepped forward, into the clear space between the door and the rest of the great hall.

It was a tall, lean man. He sported a black designer suit with a red silk tie and black loafers. With ginger hair, looking like a lion's mane. It could be none other tha-

"Loke!" Natsu turned with a smile to say words of greetings. Until he saw his face.

His hazel eyes burned with rage, mouth contorted into a snarl, showing off sharp, long, canines. The paired spikes of hair that once resembled ears were now in full realization, and a tail swished harshly behind him.

In short, he was royally pissed.

Natsu did not have time to breathe in a "What the hell?" before he found claws digging into the skin of his neck.

In a flash, they were outside, in the courtyard.

"Take a seat." He, Natsu, scrambled towards the nearest bench, sat all proper-like and waited for his tongue lashing. He had known for sometime someone would come to tan his hide but never so later after and from outta left field like this.

But wait a moment... We're missing a little something. Let's fill some gaps here.

-xXx-

(Earlier...in the Northern Mountains of Fiore.)

Lucy had been sulking lately. Sparky was nowhere to be seen for days(she knew better than to follow and/or find him) and she needed something to do beside train and sulk. She sighed. Sure, she felt stronger, faster, better than all that time ago. But what to do with all this physical strength?

She was pulled out of her brooding by a flash of light.

Her prince had arrived.

"Lucy!" For the first time of months was she happy to see him.

"I'm sorry about not coming to see you for so long! I had paperwork for hours." He joined her on the log she was sitting on and squeezed the daylights out of her.

"Hey Loki." In the same instant, he realized that fluffy, happy, ball of light Lucy was long gone.

"What happened. You don't smell like Magnolia anymore." He gave her a hard look. The ponytail, low shirts and short skirts had been long since abandoned for travelling clothes that a backpacker would applaud. She had begun to trade beauty for strength, taut muscles rippling the tight material of the shirt, scars from trees and claws alike marring her calves. The only thing against it was her well-kept hair, which now flowed past her shoulders blades.

Where had the Lovely Lucy gone?

"Shishikyuu, I was wondering if you'd help me with something."

Never, in the days of knowing him, did she call him Shishikyuu.

He blinked a few times. Then he removed his perpetually present sunglasses.

Kneeling in front of her, he asked what happened once more.

Up the mask of porcelain went. A smile made of glass. She told her story, tossing grenades like cotton balls.

By the time she finished, he was ready to burn that fucker down that dare touch his princess.

He stood, but not before wiping away the tears that ran her face.

"He will pay, my hime. He will learn why you are Queen of the Stars." He said, holding her shoulders lightly.

Before she can stop him, he shone away.

-xXx-

(Now back to Salamander's plight)

Loke sat across from him, tail resting on his thigh. He cleared his throat and opened his mouth.

"I hope the guilt has killed you enough, Salamander. Because if it hasn't it will slaughter you now. However, I'm not here to kill you."

Natsu almost turned into a puddle at the relief.

"And I'm not saying that I don't feel like it either."

He straightened right back up.

"But know this, you're walking on thin air with my patience and Lucy's heart. I have long since been content with Lucy's happiness with you, but since you have stolen both from us," He cracked his knuckles, Regulus glowing enough to get his point across.

"I'm not longer in the mood for such niceties. You played her like a violin, and for that you've betrayed both our trusts. Know that you're on powdered glass."

In a flash, he was in Natsu's face, staring him dead in his coal colored eyes, hazel eyes burning him where mortal fire couldn't reach.

"Fuck up again, in any way, shape, or form," He lifted his glasses off.

**"And that cherry ass is mine."**


	6. Chapter 6

(A/N) Hello fairies. A few things before we sidle on. One, this chapter is rather long due to the amount of stuff that happens inside. Expect the horizontal line to make repeated cameos. Two, we are getting ever closer to where the chapters are being written, that being said, I hope this will pacify you while I attempt to finish the chapter that I am working/procrastinating on. Final exams are also coming soon as well so I apologize before hand for the slower updates. Three, I posted another lovely GaLe story and I am working on the plot for a third multi-character story. Thank for your continued support, and thank you for reading.

P.S. "Blondie" is thrown around in **Seven Months**. Pay attention.

* * *

**Seven Months.**

It was at some poor nightclub when life said to them, "Your lemonade is starting to run out.".

It was earlier that night that Lucy found herself shaving her legs in the bathroom of some 4-star hotel, while Laxus forcibly debated whether or not to match Lucy. Not that he cared. He liked the feeling of his head firmly attached on his neck which was attached his shoulders. And having his ribs in perfect order was pretty sweet too.

He, upon hearing her approaching barefooted, decided on a black button up with a gold tie.

She hummed a tune, whipping the towel off and over Laxus' head. She could have just told him to step out, but this was too funny to pass up.

She pulled on a tiny little thong, and over her head went a tight white dress with two high splits up to the thigh, lined in gold borders, completed with gold three-inch heels.

After finally doing her makeup and when Laxus started complaining how about how long it took, chasing him around with a eyeliner pencil they left.

* * *

You could feel the bass two blocks away.

After 5 minutes trying to kill each other in line, paying and getting stamped, they got through the doors.

"Blondie, back here at 1 o'clock!" She heard him, but was too busy running to the dance floor to give two hells.

"Oi, what am I gonna do with you Blondie..." He sauntered over to the bar, ordered him a martini and stayed there for the rest of the night

* * *

A shot of whiskey and a appletini later, she was at the bar sipping an Sex on the Beach, flirting with some boy with eggplant hair.

He would be royally pissed right now but frankly he was a little preoccupied. A slinky little thing had wormed its way into his lap and I tell you he was none too pleased. He saw through her like glass, trying to lead him away from the bar, to some shady corner and do kami-knows-what.

Out of his eye he saw Lucy stumble off to the dance floor for another round.

But something was off here. Even drunk people don't sway like that.

He went over to grab her and get the hell out of there when a group of thugs surrounded him.

The club-goers knew the drill and hauled ass, leaving the dance floor empty except for Laxus and 10 thugs who wanted blood.

"Not fast, Blondie." His brain short-circuited a tad. Since when could you call him Blondie?

"Your girly has a bit of a contract with the Boss, so it's best you just leave now." One of the goons twirled a wicked looking sword.

"Not if I can help it." He settled into a familiar fighting stance and launched into the first blow. They fell like dominoes, one crashing into another taking somebody else out with him. Who trained these guys?

"Yah!" The sword wielder slashed out, barely missing Laxus by an inch. The alcohol slowed him down a tad but this was being just sloppy. He made sure not to make that mistake again.

Until he heard Lucy scream.

In his haste to turn towards the staircase that she got dragged up, he did not see the sword blade whiz by. He hissed, feeling the wet blade slashing through skin. The gash wasn't terribly deep but it bled profusely staining his black shirt carmine.

With a painful punch he knocked the last of them into next week, and jetted up the stairs.

It was running down the long ass hallway he felt the poison burn...

His clutched the gash with a forearm, managing to staunch the bleeding a little. He could not give a damn right now though. His Lucy needed him.

* * *

She woke up on a plush couch.

"Hello, my present..."

She sat up. The room was dark with crimson floor lights. She felt ropes and the itchiness of an blindfold haphazardly shoved over her eyes.

She felt a deep shudder run down her back. She couldn't have...

"You see," A figure in a dark suit came into her blurry view, effects of the drugs still strong. "Your daddy dearest asked me to handle you last night." A group of thugs at his back sniggered. "How convenient you end up in my club." She was yanked up by the hand, and fell sloppily into his ill embrace. She could not spare energy to be pissed.

"Come, my comrades, She shall be sold before the dawn!" A sickening laugh rumbled his chest.

She could not help herself but to scream. Her limbs were stiff and her head ached. And now what? Would be...sold...? Like a ham?

She didn't have to answer that.

A well placed kick bust down the doors. Behind the falling door-frame was one royally pissed Laxus.

"Lightning Dragon's...Roar!" A electrical cannon shot toward the club master who leaped out of the way in time for the ceiling to fall down on him.

He ran in, threw her over his shoulders, and ran out the back stairs. The poison burned his wounds , blurred his vision worse than the alcohol.

But the girl on his shoulders was in worse shape. Didn't she know not touch drinks that she took her eye off?

It was around back that they met their match. Another batch of goonies ringed around the exit.

"...Shit..." He began to see black dots, the pain creeping up his legs. He let Lucy down. Luckily, no blood made it on her dress. She'd kill him.

"Boss?" The biggest one there yelled, and there he came, a knot forming on his forehead but fine.

"Kill them."

"Aye Boss!" They began psyching themselves up like middle school kids at a fistfight.

He lent some of his weight on Blondie, trying to come up with a plan.

The edges of his vision had been turning black...

"Blon...die." He felt her head turn.

"Oh? What's this?" The club master smiled.

"Summon Kitty and get the hell out.." He staggered forward, trying to get between her and the minion horde, severely underestimating the amount of strength it took to get just that done.

"Laxus!" She ran under him, straining under his weight.

"And the Walls of Castile came a-tumblin' down." The horde sniggered.

"Don't be a fool, Lucy."

He fell, crashing to the stone walkway, blood still rushing out to say hi to the concrete. She shrieked and without thinking, pulled his upper body into her crossed legs, not caring for blood at the moment, trying to find what he'd been hiding from her. He faded to and from consciousness. The stars and the waxing moon blurred into a speckled mess, and the blood pounded in his ears.

In a bright flash, both the kitty and the cow came.

"Good..." His midnight blue eyes closed for a moment.

* * *

"Loke, Taurus. Thanks for coming so late."

"It is never an issue for me to protect your lovely body, Lucy!" Taurus lunged forward, pretty much manhandling the poor saps while Loke focused on the bigger picture.

"I don't know where it's coming from," She sighed, stroking Laxus' hair like she would on the train trips she would drag him on. Why didn't he tell her something way earlier? Stupid Blondie never tells her anything.

But then, she needs to learn the smell of blood.

"Found it," Loke pulled away the arm still guarding the wound, and almost reeled. "Antonio!"

"Yes, sir?" Taurus barreled over, barely even bruised.

"Go and get Vivia. Tell her to bring the big kit, she'll know what I'm talking about."

With another statement about Lucy's beauty, he left.

"It's nasty, but I can't.." Loke pulled Laxus' sticky shirt open to look at the wound better.

It had deepened from moving, and was becoming pink and swollen against the purple of the poison. The bleeding had slowed some but it was still flowing.

"Kit...ty?" A quick glance up from washing away from the poison, revealed dim blue eyes attempting to locate him. His breathing was becoming even more labored.

"Yep." Dumb-ass blondie.

A gate opened behind them and out came Virgo holding a suitcase. She wasted no time opening the thing. Somehow a excessively large toolkit popped out, with vials and scalpels and-

"Yer ain't cuttin' me open!" He tried to yank Loke's hand away, but only ended up getting halfway.

"Shut up, put your arms down, and concentrate on breathing. This ain't gonna feel great."

After twenty minutes of generalized antidote mixed in a saline drip,(Laxus doesn't like needles. At all. Not to mention it was pretty much the size of your hand) Virgo had concocted a bubbling cocktail of drugs and antiserum.

* * *

He had Lucy behind him, Kitty next to him, and the Girl over holding something that smelled like canned plague. That is, if the room would stop spinning.

Girly knelt beside him and offered him the hot frothy cup of medicine.

"Drink." She couldn't be more blunt.

But it was down his throat faster than he could take the cup, courtesy of Lucy pouring down his throat, burning his tongue so he couldn't taste it.

"Did it work?"

It was another long twenty minutes until they found out when a coughing fit struck him and blood spattered his chin.

"He's dyin!" She almost pulled a hunk of her hair out. Laxus just shook his head, face stoic, eyes brewing another creature entirely. Sure he'd turned his third shade of white by now and it took the force of a thousand men to breathe but, die? You're jumping bazookas.

"You're getting hysterical." Virgo simply whipped a stronger batch while Loke bandaged the wound, tightening them again.

"Hah, be damned if I die," The strangled words somehow got out of his aching chest. " I ain't going no-"

The room spun again, and he was seeing those damn spots again.

"Pass back out, and you're not getting up. Fighting isn't just physical."

"I've been fighting since day one. You can't tell me nothing, Kitty."

The sun's rays were coming up.

"We have to move." Virgo packed up.

The others agreed, and by the time the sun went up, they disappeared in the forests surrounding the town.

And through all of this, Laxus couldn't help but think but why was he the one needing saving. Isn't that Blondie's job?

* * *

**Seven and a Half Months.**

Lucy tended to Laxus' bandages. The gash was scabbing over finally. But, the wound was still there, for both parties.

She didn't not expect for it to affect her that much. But still, Laxus is just her friend, her mentor. But her heart nearly leapt out of her chest when he collapsed. Nearly to hop out and drown itself in the poison if it meant her instead.

And there she was then, she is now, head on his chest, falling asleep to the sound of his heart, praying that he would wake up.

The rise and fall of his chest rocked her to sleep. But she wasn't awake to hear him cough, and see his eyes open. Poor girl.

It was hours later she woke up. The sun's rays were gently turning orange and the air was just cooling. She would have shivered but Laxus' coat was lain on her. Without Laxus inside of it, that is.

She shot up, trying to comprehend which they could have taken hi-

"Stop that," She turned harshly, to find Laxus standing behind her. He still clutched the gash through his freshly changed shirt, but he was fine. Well, okay-ish. "You'll get yourself a crick in your neck."

That didn't stop her from barreling into his stomach, faster than a bullet on red-bull. They both fell over, Lucy trying to talk over sobs of joy.

He (awkwardly) wrapped a arm around her."Good grief, I'm drugged out for a couple days and this is what happens?"

"Days?! WEEKS!" She screeched. "I'd had thought you'd never wake up!"

"And leave here by yourself? At the wrath of the guild? Ha, you'd thought." He stood, up knocking her off her place on his chest. He was still thirstier than a fish, and the river he smelt was a good walk from here.

"Laxus, where are you going?" She stood, kicking up dust.

"On a walk!"

He rand a hand through his hair, catching on a few knots.

'Like I could leave you if I wanted to...Blondie...'

* * *

**Eight months.**

It was early in the morning that they arrived in the northern town of Sunflower. They almost never stayed in a city's wall anymore. Too many noisy folks, Laxus would say, and Lucy would agree.

The serenity of setting up camp in a northern field was thoroughly interrupted by Loke's arrival.

"Hello Lucy..." He paused for a moment making sure not to rip open wounds. "And Laxus."

"Why are you here, Kitty?" Laxus didn't hate him. It's the dropping by, unannounced, that got annoying.

"A gift for you, my hime." Laxus dropped the tarp and turned to see how big the box of chocolates were this time.

The box was covered in black suede like the kind on the outside of jewelry boxes. Loke pried open the case revealing golden bracers, with runic writing engraved into it, some decorative, some dutiful.

"A gift from my king. I will instruct you in their use." He gently handed her the box. She watched as they reacted to her magic, pulsing with golden-white light.

"They are called Alpheratz."

Lucy head snapped up. "The brightest star in Andromeda."

Loke nodded. "I told you I would help you become stronger."

"When do we start?" She sild her arms into the cuffs, watching them change in size to match her small wrists.

"After I give Laxus' present." With a raised eyebrow ,Laxus took it. He chucked it in his bag, rolling his eyes.

"Come, Hime. Much to do and learn. " He waved to the farther fields. "Laxus! Don't be surly all the time."

Oh please, he was surly for two days straight.

* * *

**10 months.**

The bracers glowed and morphed back into the original form

"And that's all she wrote." Loke picked his jacket up from the grass, and hugged Lucy bye. "Call me anytime." The minute he shone off, Laxus opened his mouth.

"You get fancy wristbands and I get a piece of jewelry? I think he's hitting on me."

"Laxus, the necklace isn't just a necklace. It's easier to use than mine, you know."

"Whatever." He lent back against the tree again, sighed, and turned his music back up. The fact that Queen was playing made life a little easier.

He didn't notice Lucy had crawled beside him for a nap, until she hit him with her knee.

"Stupid Blondie." He threw his coat over her.

* * *

**11 months.**

They sat on a cliff, watching the sun rise. Stocks replenished, and supplies ready, they would begin the trek out of somebody's forest, into a town and back to Magnolia

Not like either of them wanted to leave.

She purposely took forever tying back her hair, weaving it into a braid. Laxus stood at the edge of the cliff, making plans for their prolonged returns.

The quiet was soothingly unnerving.

But there wasn't much to be said, when they gone over it last night.

So they simply gathered their packs, cleaned up and started the hike out of the woods.

It had seemed like you had , at least for Lucy, given a recovering addict world's highest grade of their favorite indulgence.


	7. Chapter 7

(A/N) Hello fairies. I first of all want to say that I'm terribly sorry for the wait, final exams are dangerously close, but I have decided to productively procrastinate cramming. So I have extended this chapter, by around a forth of a page in Drive. And I will post the second half shortly. Meaning today. I hope. Also I wanted to say that with the second two installations there is only two chapters that are pre-drafted. I will not have time to write new materials or edit until some time next week. Please forgive me for my mini-hiatus. Sorry for errors. Thank you for your continued support.

Oh wait! ...After **Twelve Months**, The chapter format afterwards returns to full-writing if that makes sense. You'll see. I've put two consecutive lines for you.

P.S. I'm having an affair with the horizontal line button...

P.S.S. The plot bunnies are running out of carrots.

* * *

**Twelve Months**

It was the dead of the night. The fire in front of them had slowly cooled to burning coals, They were a few feet away, asleep, Laxus leaning against a thick tree, Lucy curled up comfortably at his side, using his chest as a pillow, his coat as a blanket.

It wasn't anything strange about it. It just was, and they were fine with it.

It was a few hours before dawn...

A few minutes behind them, hooligans were doing hooligan-like things.

"Take the girl and kill the boy..." A horde of bandits were plotting to rob our beloved blondes. Oh, woe.

"Yes, boss!"

Laxus felt the morons' unmasked magical presence a half-hour ago, but was too lazy to bother.

Now he was too lazy to do a good job at being lazy. He hid up in some tree, waiting to them to crowd Lucy, so he could swoop down and fry a bitch.

Like usual.

Though he could tell it was going to take a while. They were struggling with the burlap bag for god's sake.

"You put it over her head, Marty! Good grief."

Lucy however, long since awake, had sleepily folded Laxus' coat, and was tending to the dying fire, adding thin tinder to the burning coals, eyebrow raised.

"Yo, Sparky! Finish the fools." She got no response. He had fallen asleep in the branches.

She didn't bother using magic. They had glass jaws.

Twenty other fools leapt out of the brush...

.

She turned and charged her fist with raw starlight.

The battle was over before it started. They pissed their pants, and were running for the hills before she could settle into her stance.

She turned to the tree that Laxus was parked in. He was instead lounging by the fire, half lost in thought. The smell of ozone was still fading.

"You need to reign that in, Blondie."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Your magic. Control it. Your light seeps from you from you now."

"Is that bad?" She said, returning to the comfort of Laxus' coat...

"No. Better than I expected."

"As usual...right Sparky?"

"Shut it, Starry."

* * *

It was a while later in Oak Town that fate said, "Enough is enough."

They were walking through the Eastern gate, when a huge explosion went off in the center of town. No, not a bomb. It was too intensely magic-laced to be normal.

"Should we interfere?" Laxus asked, face hidden by a black cloak as they were getting closer to Magnolia, as the chances of running into a Fairy prematurely were getting high enough for them to start caring.

"...You want to?" She shifted her bag on her back, brown eyes glaring into the chaos forming in the distance.

"Interference is my middle name." A cocky grin spilt his face. They ran into the nearest inn, which name vaguely started with an S, and skidded into some random corner and dropped their stuff, and were down the street faster than the clerk could say, "Wait!"

Adrenaline rushed through her veins, she couldn't wait to feel flesh against her arsenal. It being in the name of Justice made it even sweeter. A sickening chuckle accidentally ripped out of her mouth.

"Blondie, you can be out for blood later."

"You can't let me have my moments can you?"

"Ever since Kitty gave you something sharp and pointy to fight with, I don't think that's possible."

Another chuckle. Laxus' spine had a ice age.

"Do I need to get you some sedatives?"

The smell of char and drying blood stopped them in their tracks. The injured were in the tens if not the hundreds. The municipal building had smoke billowing out of it. Inside the glow of runes shone through the clouded windows.

"Let's go before they steal all of the fun!" Lucy snatched one of Laxus' arms and dragged into the fray before he could think of a plan.

Somehow, as he'd been anticipating, they had gotten split up in the tirade, he had been walking down some lonely hallway in some side corridor hoping to get the head honcho faster, which was predictably in the main corridor, holding somebody hostage.

Can the bad guys be a little more cliché?

He was torn out of his revelry by a chunk of wall getting blown out a few yards down by a cannon of fire.

The body that attempted debridement from the wall was stopped by a pink haired cannonball.

"Where is your leader so I can burn him to ash?"

"I-I." The mage threw up a flaming fist.

"In the lower m-main! Don't kill me!" The mage snapped the goon's collar, thwacking his head again the plaster, knocking him out.

"And..." He straightened up. "Who might you be?"

His hair was short but not severely so. With only a long vest for a shirt and matching pants, and the red Fairy twitching on his shoulders, it could only be Natsu Dragneel.

He was not sure how to approach this but Lucy probably would kill him thrice if he did anything rash.

"Hmm...? Say something before I mash you into a pulp." Natsu rolled his shoulders back, ready to settle into a fighting pose.

"I'm a traveling mage. I came to see what the issue was." He held his voice lower than normal. A tiny overpass would mean hell.

"Oh? Let see if you could be of help then." He waved him up to his side.

'He's calmer.' The Energizer bunny on fire, seemed a little less hasty. What exactly had happened in a year?

The hurried jog down the nearest staircase turned into a brawl. They were a few goonies thundering up the stairs. Natsu took a couple out with a Fire Dragon's fist. Laxus being more careful, just throwing a few bolts around to shock them into paralysis.

"A lightning mage?"

Laxus nodded, making sure the cloak shadowed his face. Hopefully the situation wouldn't get more dire than this. Or...

* * *

"Is it requip magic? I don't think I've seen anything like it."

"Something similar but different." She tried to mask it, to escape Erza's crazy perception. She had a feeling that it'd would only work for so long, so finishing up and getting the hell out of here was top priority.

The door got kicked down, and it revealed an already raging battle.

And the one person she'd dreading to witness.

Natsu was killing it, a whirlwind of kicks and flames knocking them down like a dominoes to get to the main baddie. Gray was there as well, sending make after make against them. Titania was in her Heaven's Wheel armour, Blumenblatting them to hell.

It took a bit to locate the yellow flash that was Laxus' thunder.

She sprinted across the room taking a couple out in the process. She slid into position behind him, using only her raw strength to take them out.

"Titania is-"

"I know." He didn't need this now, well Lucy didn't need this now. She'd figure out in the hour.

"You fools!" The main event had started in the center of the room: Team Natsu vs The leader of whatever dark guild tried to conquer the place.

The fight lasted as long as a Fire Dragon's Roar.

"Good grief... where are all the good bad guys?"

"Natsu could you try to make sense?" Gray yelled, picking up his shirt from some forgottten corner.

"Shut up minty."

"Fire bug."

"Glacier breath."

"Anywho..." Erza turned toward to the two cloaked figures in the near distance. They seemed perfectly fine over there watching the two opposites arguing behind her. Perfectly in tune after traveling together for so long.

So perfectly familiar. That accent could only do so much.

"Hey, you two!" Natsu called. They almost , subconsciously, seemed to leap out of their skin, but still scuttled over.

"You guys are in a guild?" They gave a odd reaction. It would be easier if...

"Well no. Not currently." Lucy wracked her mind, molding a story.

She refused to be faced with them this early, this soon, especially...

"Ma'am are you alright?" Gray had asked, pulling at his recently replaced shirt.

"I'm fine." It had become a little warm but she'd be fine.

"Well why not?" Natsu ran up to them, cheese grin blaring full force.

The one that she had missed.

She shifted uncomfortably. 'We'll see about it."

"Come with us to Fairy Tail! It's great over there an-"

Laxus sensed an flying presence. He grabbed Lucy's shoulders and with a clap of thunder they were out of there and the situation.

"Erza! What the hell?" The two males griped as Erza returned into her normal armor.

"Run for now. You will return and face reality someday."

They had retreated back to the inn. Lucy was nearly hyperventilating and Laxus was gritting his teeth.

"Damn Titania." Great, Lucy was a wreck and Erza was sniffing them out no doubt.

"Lucy!" She snapped up from her panicked thoughts and leaped from the couch.

The clerk recognized them from the start.

"Hey! It's been a while." They stood perplexed. Were they here before?

"Oh wow." Laxus' got caught staring at the sign outside, that familarly read, "Sunrise Inn. How weird."

* * *

They spent a night.

But did I say that they slept well?

"Lucy, you have to face him sometime."

A wrenching sob came from the bathroom that only Laxus could decipher. He had no idea that she'd kept this bottled up for so long.

"It's late, come to bed."

Another one, worse than the last.

"I'n not sugar coating the facts for you. Suck it up."

A wail, from underneath the pounding of the shower.

"Its not your fault, I thought you said that you would move on. It seeems you've let it kill you instead."

A shriek.

"I'm sure that you two could start the hell over. I don't think spending your life as a vagabond mage will fix the issue."

The shower stopped running. A choked howl.

"I'm sure that you'll still be his _friend_ ."

"What is that supposed to mean?!" Over the rush of the sink.

"You two can't go back to what you had..."

The door flung open. Revealing a scalded Lucy, skin red from the hottest water the shower could offer. She proceeded to her bag, pulled on a nightshirt, and yanked a stern Laxus to bed.

He woke up to an crying Lucy. She was clear on the other side on the room, sobbing into an unsuspecting pillow. He didn't even realized that she'd gotten out of her bed. In the light of the predawn sun...he scooped her up her still sobbing form and put her into his bed, with his perpetually fluffy coat draped over the blankets.

As he turned to leave, a tiny hand reached from the mountain of covers, snatching his wrist...

"Stay...please."

He did. Best sleep she got in months.

* * *

They stayed a few days, not to Lucy's comfort. But to avoid encountering Team Natsu, anything was worth a shot.

'Especially with Lucy turning into stained glass in my hand.'

The fourth day, they got up and packed. Lucy wasn't too keen on it but keeping from getting thrown over Laxus' shoulder was a better idea.

They sidled to the train station early in the morning trying to get the first train outta there. Laxus spotted the nearest empty bench and prostrated himself on it, to fruitlessly avoid the headache that was coming. Upon Lucy's catching up with the Slayer she flipped him over, and got comfortable, to the point of nearly falling asleep.

Getting closer however, duly sensed by Laxus' nose, was Team Natsu.

He reached into his pack and dug out the cloaks, getting up to snap it around his shoulders, and around Lucy's groggy ones.

By the time they got where they were, Lucy was rattling with nerves. She pulled the hood even tighter about her face.

"Pretend you are asleep. You're making it worse."

She tried. But no cigars. She did feel Laxus relax under her, and felt a small shield go up around them, making the air hum slightly with electricity.

In the same moment you could hear Natsu's loudness pervade the air, talking about some bad night's sleep.

She wanted to maul him,and hug him at the same time. Feel his flesh open by her hands, and then apply the strongest healing salve she knew how to make.

A arm snaked around her waist, firmly holding her down, as they passed by, oblivious to the familiarity of Laxus' Thunder Shield.

They got another bench a couple yards down. She listened in carefully.

Asuka was turning 7 soon. The raijinshuu were getting anxious to find Laxus. Lucy was going to be pronounced dead soon.

**DEAD?!**

It took all her strength and half of Laxus to hold her down to prevent her from leaping up, and screaming to the heavens at 6:49 in the morning that she was alive and well.

"I'll put you out." Laxus said against gritted teeth, grip tightening even more.

It took what little sanity she had left to listen to the rest. But she couldn't care less. They thought she was dead, didn't Makarov tell them anything?

The train rolled in, ripping her own of thought on its tracks. Laxus released the thunder barrier, and warily got on, dragging a dumbstruck Lucy with him, making sure not to get on the same car with the other crew.

* * *

Traveling together for this long has it's perks, such as somebody who pretty much knew what you've been throwing in the back of the closet for god knows how long.

They were in the back of the car in a compartment by themselves, Laxus already stretched out, borrowing Lucy's legs. The train didn't start moving yet, so much to Lucy's chagrin he was still coherent enough to ask questions.

"Why are you trying to run into something you're not ready for?"

She went to open her mouth but she got cut off.

"No, actually, don't answer that. Go boil over it, because you're getting dragged back to the Fairies. Tomorrow."

The train shifted. Laxus just turned silent as his face turned green.

A few hours later...

"What else are you scared that I need to worry about?"

She looked down at him, who had turned to lie face up, legs folded on the armrest of the bench. His hair was obscured by the cloak, but dark blue orbs still burned her, thunderbolt scar still prevalent. A vague sense of admiration shot through her.

"My father.." The words fell out like diamond plated bricks.

"His sole heir, running around the country, he tried to get to me once remember?" Laxus turned a lighter shade of green. "Traveling god knows where, with a man that he hasn't approved of. Yeah. That's scary."

"Me or him?" Lucy just glared at him.

"What's he like?"

"That man doesn't even know my birthday. It's always been money, business, and politics with him. I remember that he threw me out of his office when I brought him lunch that I made myself. Didn't send me a present for Christmas. Just the back of his hand. Especially after mom passed."

A appaling silence set in. Laxus thankfully ended it, with even more depressing inflections.

"Be happy you weren't strapped to the plastic table in some back alley, with no anesthesia, getting a lacrima the size of your head implanted inside you. All at the tender age of 8. I was told this, by Jii-Jii, I don't remember it myself."

"What?" She never heard of such an abomination in her life.

"My father was never well. In the head. Calls everything chan. Man, please, I spent half my fu-" He stopped for a minute because he was going to make himself sick. "Half my life, getting away from him and out of his shadow. Didn't stopped his terrorism though. He broke a couple ribs, one time."

Lucy had nothing to say, well...

"And your mom..?"

Laxus' eyes lit and cooled in the same second.

"She died. July 7, X777. That's when the beatings got harder."

Lucy recognized the date, from somewhere. She'd put more thought to it later.

A few solemn minutes passed. They rearranged themselves, trying to move on from the uncomfortable topic.

"Hey, sparky?" Laxus looked up from the designs on her shirt.

"I'll get your back if you get mine."

"...Sure, Blondie."


	8. Chapter 8

(A/N) Hello Fairies. I forgot to put to two bars for you...sorry... But nothing much to say... There's a slight perspective shift when they return, at least to me...There is awkward, in dialect (it's how it came out) language that I like and want to keep. Just much smaller words.

Thanks for reading.

Errata : I've added more adjectives to the confrontation scene. Hopefully it cleared it up.

* * *

The train rolled in Magnolia at twilight.

They took their time, disembarking, pulling on packs and adjusting straps.

The train was docking here for the night, so there wasn't need to rush.

The (somewhat dizzy) trek to the main plaza was somehow more exhausting that the 7 hour ride. They crashed on the bench, to think about how to approach this.

"Go in, say hi, and leave."

"By that, you do mean go in say hi and throw a fairy tail party."

"Leave before the party starts?"

"If you have a diamond plated riot shield on you, Sparky then go ahead."

"Nah, how does an electrified cattle prod work?"

"You're horrible!" They laughed it off, getting strange looks from passerby. The strange foreigners were rather rowdy.

"Let's go.." He saw over his shoulders a mop of pink hair "No use in baking out here." They stood, and got their stuff and left.

The walk to Lucy's house had seemed both glorious and completely revolting.

* * *

They spent the night on her roof, feeling too lazy, and too nostalgic to clean a year of dust of everything to get some sleep.

Dawn woke them up. Or was it?

"What are you hooligans doing on my roof?"

She peered over the slanted side. And then proceeded to slide down and tackle her precious landlady.

"Oi! You're back already?" The landlady teased. "You've gotten a little taller."

"Nah, just a bit stronger."

"A bit? Don't make it seem like you were up to standard before." Laxus came down behind her, throwing on the ever-present coat on under the cloak.

"Well, come in. Business to sort." The landlady unlocked the door.

They spent hours in there, filing paperwork and cleaning 20 football fields off dust off the furniture that couldn't get covered, and straightening the house in general.

It was well two in the afternoon when they got cleaned up.

"So..."The house practically shone with cleanliness. They still didn't even change out of the dusty clothes from travelling, much less unpack.

Well, they weren't back yet.

"You ready, Blondie?"

She drudged towards the door, dragging her feet. The day she'd been dreading was happening right this second.

"Let's get this over with. Come what may and all that nobility."

* * *

Fairy Tail was of course being its chaotic self. The booze was flowing, and half of it into Cana's mouth. Reedus and Nab were playing poker. Team Natsu had gotten back and were telling the story about the recent quests they went on.

"But, as we were inviting them to the guild...they flashed away." Gray said, trying to pry an excited Juvia off of him.

"Maybe they had business to attend to." Mirajane said over a dainty shoulder, bringing drinks to the table behind them.

"Maybe they had something to hide." Erza muttered from the corner, getting a perplexed under-bandanna glance from her partner in crime.

The sound of wind chimes at the door stopped most of the activity.

Two figures had walked in, faded black cloaks about them. One was taller and decidedly male, than his smaller companion. They shouldered small packs, but still looked heavily travel-worn. They walked the floors like they knew them, like they lived here. Straight to the bar, like it was normal.

Natsu had enough of it.

"Hey.." He stood, arms crossed. Nobody dared walk in here looking like that, unless they wanted the title foe written across the forehead. "What are you doing here. Got any business?"

"Good grief, Natsu. Who put the stick in your ass?" The voice should be eerily familiar but it was moderately coated with an accent no one recognized.

The crowd was generally becoming interested now. Who were these strangers that they knew Salamander by name?

"Excuse me, sir but I don't take kindly to those who insult my family." Mirajane stood stern not too far away, holding a service tray under her arm.

"You too, Mira?"

"Stop it." The second one spoke. A young woman. "You're getting surly."

"You stay surly, Blondie."

"Spark plug."

"Glenda the good witch."

"Electromagnetic tampon."

"Princess of China"

"The big bad raichu."

"ENOUGH!" They looked up to Makarov, who wasn't having it today.

"Why are you here, travelers?"

"Oh well we came to see if you had any openings for a couple members...is all." After a tug from the shorter one, they spoke harshly in some foreign dialect before looking at Makarov.

"Well, we can't welcome you here if you are mages..."

The crowd moved back a bit to give them room to demonstrate

"Should we?" The girl spoke rubbing the golden bracers on her arms. He nodded, concentrating on not overdoing it..

"Thunder Shield." The air hummed with ozone and static before an orb of lightning surrounded the two of them before dispelling.

"Alpheratz: Bracers of Shishikyuu."

The braces themselves morphed into knuckles complete with gauntlets, with armor plating.

"Weapon magic?"

"Of a sort." She released the summoning, replacing the seeming the docile accessories.

"Hmm, well come with me, we'll sign you up. Natsu, Lisanna? Attend." They gave each other a brief look before following the Master.

They didn't even wait for it to become official before they started it up.

It's not a party until somebody has a broom up the ass.

* * *

The silent walk into the master's office felt like walking into purgatory.

The second the door closed...

"I'm not sure what you're up to, but you'd better not fuck up."

Makarov pointed an eager finger at them.

"Master, you know them?" Lisanna inquired, without answer

"She ain't up to spec yet and I know it. I'm not going to throw her to the wolves just yet." The male crossed his arms.

"The truth will come when it must, and it will be inopportune."

"I know."

Makarov shook his head and went into his drawer for the stamp to restore their marks. They quickly reinstated the markings.

"Is there something that we should know here?"

"If you would be so kind as to settle this before it hits the fan?" Makarov got up into his chair and started on the third stack of paperwork.

The two cloaked figures blinked, shrugged and ended up having another petty argument before removing their hoods.

Natsu literally knocked her off her feet, already running his mouth at a thousand words a second. All he had to see was Blonde hair.

Lisanna looked up at Laxus. "Why did you leave with her again?"

"Because I felt like it- Natsu!"

He stopped strangling Lucy long enough to listen.

"This doesn't leave this room. Right, Titania?" The title fell in chunks off his tongue, the syllables morphed exotically.

The door opened revealing the scarlet knight who simply nodded before stepping in.

"So are you going to talk about your travels? That's what I came for..."

This started another petty argument in another dialect which was probably about who would talk first. Not like it mattered, when Lucy ran her mouth regardless.

* * *

The party (or organized broom shoving) went on for days. Somewhere in the middle of it, Laxus found himself in some corner, with Blondie in one arm, and an entire beer keg in the other.

Life was good, for those Halcyon days.

But then, as the wine and festivity weened off into (relative) normalcy, the bad humors came with it. Things that never got said. People that changed, and somehow...

It was a warm day in early March that Lucy got her wish.

She was sitting at the bar, having a White Russian when Lisanna came to her.

"Um, Miss?" The glass came down hard, and the silver-haired maiden nearly leaped out of her skin. She burned her flesh with her gaze.

She steeled herself.

"May I speak to you?" She offered her a smile. Lucy scoffed, knocking back the rest of the cocktail before waving her into some arbitrary direction.

Laxus watched them leave, saying something in some foreign dialect, stopping Lucy in her tracks, before she shuffled forward.

They went into a small conference room on the second floor. Lisanna gnawed the inside of her lip. She could sense the sheer animosity toward her flowing off this girl. And newly acquired raw strength that she would not hesitate to use on her. The muscles rippled under the tight shirt she had on as proof.

She sat, Lucy stood at the door.

"How are you today...?"

"Skip it. Speak what you must."

Her brown eyes burned a strip down her body.

"Well. I heard about what happened to you and Natsu."

"We had a...falling out."

"It was much more that!" The girl screeched before immediately piping down, "and you know it. I'm sorry that...my return had instigated such..." She stroked the grain of the table, trying to sooth her insides.

The next she opened her mouth, Lucy was sitting besides her, legs crossed flipping through her sound pod.

"I never though that, for a moment that things would stay in stasis. And I never thought, at the same time, that Natsu would not wait for me. I honestly fooled myself into believing that he'd mourn my loss for some time longer." She had tears glossing her eyes but, she gripped the edge of the table and kept on.

"I heard what I did to you, what I had caused by my bittersweet return. I...I." She gritted her teeth, tears threatening mutiny.

` "I went as far as to swear away from Natsu... it killed me to, but I can't stand it!" Lisanna stood, knocking the chair back. Lucy was more worried about the frantic girl in front of her. "Un-until I had your forgiveness. Your consent to even speak to him, if you'd like!"

Lucy simply stared at her, in awe and shock, as Lisanna lowered herself to ground and bowed before her.

"I'm - I'm so sorry! I beg your forgiveness!" She didn't bother to hold back her sorrow.

Only a few expressive blinks came from Lucy before she kicked her into the blank wall behind them, with no effort.

She did catch her, and held petite girl so tight she could break a rib or two if she felt like it.

"But w-why?" She whispered only the wind knocked out of her.

Lucy could hear the pounding of footsteps and Elfman's manly proclamations

"Sometimes you need a kick in th' ass to get moving. I am **not** your arbiter. Sometimes the person who needs forgiveness is the only one who can grant it. Go and be happy."

The door flew revealing a worried Bixlow, a manly Elfman, and relatively nosy Laxus.

"Lisanna?" Bixlow hopped over, and snatched the girl out of Lucy's arms checking her over like a rag doll in his arms, a limp marionette, with her laughing and crying and carrying on. With a triumphant "She's good!" from the puppet knight, she got thrown over a shoulder, face buried in her hands.

"THANK YOU!" She cried, hands caressing the retreating figure of her admonishment, before returning to her sobbing.

"Miss, I don't know how you know Lisanna, but thank you for relieving her of her agony. It was not manly to see her suffer so..."

Lucy smiled. And nothing more.

* * *

It was the day after that they got big news.

The grand magic games were coming up.

After a good round of whooping and hollering, Makarov told them that all potential candidates had three months to train.

This however was easier said than done.

"Do we take the raijinshuu?" Lucy asked, lounging on Laxus' chest (and by way, a couch) in some forgotten corner of the main hall.

"Duh...They won't say nothing until I tell them to. Actually."

He got up, dropping Lucy like a hot coal, dodging the tankard flying at his head and waltzed right on over.

They were bickering about something he didn't care for when he got their attention.

"Hey..." They immediately looked him dead in the face, Freed still trying get a glance at his face under the fancier cloak he had on. "Can I speak with you? Privately?"

They gave each other cross looks before standing up and following Laxus to some real obscure spot outside that nobody knew existed. Really, it was tree-d off and it had hedges- oh yeah, the story. So, the moment they got there, shit hit the fan.

"So, what is it that you want...Lezarro?" Freed asked impatiently.

"To train with you guys like old times, is all."

A collective "What?" fell out of their mouths.

"You guys are hopeless..." The hood got pulled off, revealing his face.

Freed was (attempting to) squeezing the life out of the Slayer before he could blink, following by everybody else.

After the dreaded group hug, and much, much idle chatter of ill-significance, they got to the meat of the conversation.

"Do not tell anyone that I'm back, do not tell anyone that you know me. And do not call me Laxus."

"But why?" Bixlow said, his babies echoed.

"When Lucy is ready to come back as Lucy, I'll do the same. The reason should be clear as day."

"But why, for Lucy? You got a thing for her or something?"

"..." He just stood and left, yanking up the hood out of the cloak.

Half the world know what that meant. Not like he bothered to hide it.

* * *

She never had though that these four could ever be so fun to hang with.

From Freed and Bixlow's friendly trying-to-kill-each-other, and Laxus and Evergreen's overall unorthodox methods of speaking to each other, she found herself laughing from day 1 to day 90.

Well, when Laxus wasn't making her work like a slave.

She spent the last of her training time, the sun setting gloriously in front of her, legs swinging off the edge of a cliff, trying to find a way to prolong her Halcyon.

Until she felt a pair of ridiculously muscled thighs surround her own and a broad chest moving air behind her.

"Laxus have you ever heard of personal space?

"Not when you're so eager to share it..." She scoffed, standing away and ready to strut back to the camp.

"Leave me be, Sparky. I'm not in the mood."

He ignored her, walking up to her to place a friendly hand on a shoulder, before she blowed that off.

"Stop." The tone of her voice obviously did not match the words.

He turned her by the shoulders to face him. "What is it? What is it now?"

She suddenly became interested in the leaves blowing in the distance.

"Let me guess, you're trying to plot the avoidance of Natsu?"

"I am not avoiding! I am not rushing it, it'a difference!" She flailed her arms, before falling into a childish pout.

"You are avoiding it, him, Blondie! And it's starting to get annoying." He stepped closer, making her painfully aware of the height (and strength) gap between them.

"How am I annoying? You are like you went through it. Why can I deal with myself how I will?"

"Because-! You..." He cut himself off and turned away, beginning to walk off but he got caught a by a small fist wrapped around his wrist.

"I'm sick of your half-talking, Sparky!" She switched hands, holding his wrist in one hand and a fistful of his shirt in the other.

"What is your problem with me?"

"..." He just burned her with his glare, deep blue eyes lighting an inferno somewhere deep within her, somehow embedding his purpose into her before ripping away...

'When will I get back my Lovely Lucy?...Not this scared porcelain doll in a leather jacket...'


	9. Chapter 9

Hello fairies. First of all, this took AGES to edit. Sorry. I thank you for your extended patience.

Before I even start ranting I want to point out that they will be TWO chapters today. Yay. This chapter is shorter. The next is similar. Enjoy.

Secondly I want to ( briefly, pray mercy) go over summer plans. For your ease I've separated the rant from what actually pertains to the chapter, by a line, and the actual chapter by two lines.

So, I have at least two or three more LaLu plans. I have a Gerza/Jerza in plotting. I have a blue hair fic inspired by Shiawase-usagichan's art. I have written a letter to get approval to make sure that she's okay with it ( I don't like stealing people's thunder. Unless its name is Laxus.) I have a BixLisa in plotting.

That's just for Fairy Tail. If you're in the Bleach and Naruto fanons/fandom I got a couple Mayuri fics (yes, HIM) and as well as a HitsuKarin. For Naruto I got a GaaNa ghosting in and out of thought, and a SasuSaku.

But with highs come lows. I have two AP summer assignments at a combined total of over 120 paragraphs, easy. Don't let that bother you (that much).

So that's it. Hope to post again soon. Moving along...

* * *

Just a couple of things that need addressing. . The games proceed as (relatively) canon. The things that have changed will be addressed. Also, we will not be discussing the major events in major detail that are irrelevant to our causes i.e. Yukino's fight except the meeting after her (extremely appalling) dismissal from Sabertooth. We begin the night before the first day on the start of the fighting tournament. Or due to paranoia it's Lucy's fight with Flare. Spoliers for GMG. **(Fighting dialogue if lifted if not modified from manga. I do not own Fairy Tail.)**

OH. Yeah... that accent thing. It's going to less noticeable as time passes. You'll see.

-turns into a puddle at the thought of Laxus with a accent-

P.S. The whole magic thing has been earlier hinted at. When Lucy called Leo Shishikyuu. I'll explain at the bottom...

* * *

"Though I am very new to your family, I again thank you for allowing me to participate." Lucy said through the bathroom door. She was trying on her outfit for tomorrow, as tomorrow the fighting would start.

"Not a problem, Lucrezia. Besides, it's a good shot for Master and everyone to see what you're made of." Gray mumbled through the act of taking off his shirt.

She slid the door open. She had on dark eggplant cargoes on with a large section running down the sides vacant but hemmed, closed only by crisscrossed straps. A black tight shirt revealed her toned abdomen. The high-low hem of a layered purple and white cloak emblazoned with the Fairy brushed dark sandals. The hood was ornately embroidered and it did a good job of hiding her face. She was lucky that it had been long-established that the don't ask don't tell policy was active.

"It fits well..."

"Good. Take it, it's yours. Go and get some rest." Erza said, gazing out of the window longingly.

"As you wish," She bowed lightly "Titania." Before gathering her clothing and leaving.

The walk down the hallway through their floor in the hotel wasn't particularly peculiar except for Bacchus and Cana in one corner exchanging ale and kisses like cotton balls and daisies.

The door to their room opened about three seconds after she knocked, revealing a hooded Laxus. He slipped it off, moving to let her in.

No words were exchanged as she stepped inside, changed into more comfortable clothes and sat at the table with Laxus to eat.

Sausages and mashed potatoes were extremely comforting at the moment.

She didn't notice until she reached for her glass, the black velveeteen case on her right.

"Happy birthday."

She paused her dinner to open the case. It was golden chain necklace adorned with a thunderbolt smacked in the middle of it. Six diamond-shaped, convex, rose gold, "scales" spread from it, humming faintly with static.

She was too busy contemplating the cost of such accessory to say thank you. And when she finally did, Laxus thought he'd need to call the paddy wagon in the morning.

OoOoOoOoOo

To stand with them, felt glorious. The crowd silent with disbelief, dead last but there.

The first match of the day.

"Fairy Tail's Lucrezia...versus Raven Tail's Flare Corona!"

The crowd threw up a hooting, while the two women came forward. Lucy sized her up, before turning (with instigating flare) toward Laxus.

He simply offered a single sentence, with the heady accent they've picked up.

"Just do it." His statement accompanied by a turn back to the stands, cloak billowing behind him, generously hiding the fur-lined coat.

With a curt nod. She turned the buxom woman. The participants cleared out.

During the declaration of the rules, she couldn't help but overhear what the woman was muttering herself.

"Blondie..." She had remembered that she pulled her hair into a braid that ended up slithering up to hang out of the front of the hood, but didn't have a clue why she sounded so menacing.

"Fight!"

She quickly detached the longer portion of the cloak. The layered hem now falling to her rib-cage. The bracelets shone morphing into,

"Alpheratz: Bracers of Shishikyuu."

The golden gauntlets shone brightly on her arms. The crowd roared again. "A celestial brawler? I've never seen one!"

"Kingyuukyuu," Taurus showed up by her side, skipping the comments about her lovely figure for the seriousness of the match. "Tenkatsukyuu," Scorpio shone in, already riled up. Again the crowd roared. She could summon a spirit without the incantation?

"Thank you for coming. Now, friends." The spirits and their mistress settled into a fighting stance. "Let's fight."

The battle became a flurry of hair and starlight. It got to the point when Scorpio left for her to summon,

"Kyokaikyuu!" Cancer was summoned to snip down the volley of hair coming her way with a claw and fangs of a wolf.

She was becoming drained. But she stood stronger than when she started.

The scarlet woman walied at the maiming of her precious locks. She drove them under the earth.

Lucy had anticapted the low blow before. But the hair wasn't coming for her.

Flare pointed at it, red locks waving daintily next to the small Asuka.

Before she could say a word, she was bound in scarlet ropes with a Raven Tail mark nearly burning her hand. She glanced over her shoulders. Laxus singed the lock of hair and swept the child underneath his cloak.

Unafraid to go ahead now, she summoned another Spirit.

"Soushikyuu..." Gemi and Mini popped up.

"Help me out with that." The spirits transformed into her, except the new form was only in the longer cloak from before and a black skimpy bikini. Of course the crowd had a collective nosebleed.

They were immediately pacified when starlight began to illuminate the room.

"Ten wo hiraki." Gemini had thier hands upon the Lucy's shoulders channeling their energy into her. "Ten wo hiraki."

The chant continued. Orbs of colored starlight flooded the arena.

She swayed slightly, trying not to become enraptured by this.

"Hiraku...UranoMetria."

The starts hummed with energy before disappearing.

She was stunned, needless to say. How? Gemini had left the moment the spell was cast.

She slumped to the ground, defeated. The crowd jeered.

She felt strong arms, lift her up, and carry her battered body out of there.

"You did good, Blondie."

XxXxXxXx

The rest she was supposed to getting in Fairy Tail's private infirmary was taken up by questions. About her and her magic.

"You know you remind of Lucy," Levy spoke, reading a book at the same time. "she was in our guild, but then..."

Everybody sent a cold glare toward Natsu and Lisanna.

"Instigate." A hushed whisper from the giant sitting next to her. She could feel his glare through both their hoods.

"Well, who is this Lucy? We may have seen her in our travels."

The explanation wasn't too lengthy,but it invoked deep memories than she'd buried a while ago.

"We all hope she'll send something soon. A year and nothing but the memories." Alzack sighed, fixing his daughter's hair.

"...That is unfortunate, but perhaps hanging on to what you do not possess isn't healthy..." Laxus spoke, shaking the conversation at its core with such a cryptic warning. After a harsh murmur among the Fairies they all scuttled out of there.

"I'm tired." Laxus got comfortable in the chair, resting his head on the edge of the cot.

"You should be Laxus, after wandering so long."

They both shot up.

Gajeel and Wendy stood near the door, looking pleased.

Well, more Wendy, because the moment Gajeel opened his mouth.

"I'm not covering for you. You reap what you've sown."

* * *

Addendum: The details come later. Lucy has gotten to the point where all she needs is the key in her possession and to call out the spirit's formal name to summon them.


	10. Chapter 10

Hello Fairies. This is the second to last chapter before we catch up to current progress. Not much to say. Same bold applies from last time. Enjoy and thanks for reading.

* * *

She sat on the couch of the main hall. The blue haired girl, had sat across from her.

"You should know well the bonds of Spirits to their masters. I will not end this on only a failed fight."

She got up, walked around the table, and placed her hands on the girl's shoulders.

"When you are truly ready to pass the mantle, do so wi-"

She straightened up rigidly, eyes someplace far away. The figures of both Libra and Pisces stood behind Yukino. They stared at her, and then each other, before giving Lucy a happy nod.

"Well, guys, are you sure about this? I'm not sure that you..."

"I have long awaited for the scales to be balanced, my queen." Libra bowed, her kind voice slightly muffled by her veil.

"Me too, right Ma...?" The Mother nodded.

"When you find your way to me, of your own accord. I will happliy accept your offer."

They disappeared at that. And Yukino seeing the exchange agreed.

oOoOoOoOoO

"Fairy Tail's Lezzaro, versus, Raven Tail's Alexei!"

He reeled back some, before realizing that that was his alias. He turned on his heel, the group making a way for him to get to the stairs.

"Good Luck," Lucy said, leaning against the brick wall between the seating area and the stairs to the arena, hood delicately shrouding her face. A peer through the layered gossamer revealing the camera were pointed on them.

"Don't need it. You're right there." He said, hand feathering the railing of the steps. The crowd collectively went Awww, and they got nothing but a eye-roll in return.

At the middle of the arena waited the hulking behemoth, gold armor shining in the afternoon sun. He stood a good distance away, during the reminding of the rules, arms crossed uncharacteristically. The cloak had long since been discarded, the coat recently delivered from dry-cleaning, comfortably hanging on the rank just inside the door. The short sleeved compression top's hood was augmented to be deep enough to hide his face, held in place some finicky general magic that Lucy had done. The sound pods were with Lucy, instead of connected to his thick brown belt, holding in place dark gold slacks. The loafers were polished, but modified to be fit for combat.

The moment the referee said fight...

He found himself watching images of himself being completely wasted by Alexei.

"All an illusion." Alexei said, arms crossed similarly under the feathered cloak.

"Depending on our discussion, you can even win."

"Not a thing to talk about." An arc of lightning passed through the air. "Let us be done with this."

"But surely..." He waved his arm, indicating the figures that came behind him, "you could not defeat all of us?" The other four participants stood at Alexei's side.

"Including," He lifted a hand to his mask. "Your dear father, Laxus?"

The other four Raven Tail members jumped a bit...

"I had a suspicion about this from the start...shitty pops."

He ignored the retort, walking a bit forward.

"Tell me...my son... the location of Lumen Histoire."

"No clue what you're talking about."

"Surely Makarov told you? No need to lie."

"I really don't know..." Laxus' lips ended pressed into a thin line...what was he getting at? Backwards man...

"No, you have to know."

"If I did, would I tell you?" He raised a hidden eyebrow, how easy did this man think he was?

"Are you telling me, that you'd pass on an easy victory? If you don't, then perhaps your illusion losing won't be enough for you?"

"Your backwards, old man. All I know is how Jii-jii cut you of things..." He waved a slightly crackling hand, beckoning them forth.

"Bring you and your pack of fools, the Fairies' enemies are mine as well!"

He went on about how Raven Tail was made to counter Fairy Tail. He had to resist rolling his eyes.

"6 years, and one year of field research and Jii-jii has not made a move at you. Believing in you... that whole father and son thing"

"SILENCE!" He hurtled hundreds of shikigami at him... yelling about how he waited for this day to get to Lumen- whatever. Searched everywhere for it.

"Where is it?! Tell me! Aren't you my son?!" When he wasn't satisfied with the answer...

"Go, Obra!" The rest fell in...trying to help. He toppled them all, avenging his friends' battles.

When Kurohebi got knocked sky-high, he turned to Ivan.

"I aint got a clue what you want out of us..." He stalked toward his father, eyes lit with anger. "But I hold you accountable for hurting my friends."

"Wait! I'm your father! We're famil-"

"Have you forgotten that Fairy Tail is my family?"

The illusion was dispelled as a huge chunk of wall came flying.

OoOoOoOoO

The tunnels under the seating of the arena were small, but lined with stone and brick and therefore cozy.

She had gone there to meditate, to clear her head.

Instead, she got an even worse headache.

"Hello, my daughter."

Jude stood, looking his age in a tailored business suit. A few security guards stood behind him, looking more pleased to see Lucy alright.

"It seems your continuing rebellion has begun to sink to new lows..." He said, disgust clinging to his voice.

She had changed into a long sleeved compression top, with the bottom cut off and hemmed to reveal her toned midriff. Dark pink, nearly magenta, linen cargoes clothed her legs. Combat boots cleverly hid a dagger, the thick bracers gleaming. Of course, a lighter pink robe, gently swayed in the hollow breeze, the deep hood hiding everything but stoic lips.

"Speak what you must and leave, father."

"First you leave your home, then your fortune, get involved with Fairy Tail, and now you roam the country for a year, cavorting with some feral dog?"

In a flash she was in his face, brown eyes burning with rage.

"I don't care what you say about me, but you keep Laxus out of your mouth. You know nothing and deserve to know nothing. Leave,"

she pushed him out of her way.

"This is not a place for mere civilians..."

In a heartbeat, she found herself, tangled in leather binds.

"Whip Magic: Spilt Paths..." Jude's right hand held a beautiful weapon, handle of rich ivory, made of supple black leather.

"Don't challenge me, child."

In a second flash., he got his answer. They flew around each other, landing blows every now and again.

The worse of them, being...

"Whip Magic: Clutches!"

The leather straps grabbing her , and threw her into the wall, slamming to the arena.

She pulled herself out of the rubble, quickly looking for the next hit.

"Well, well. What do we have here...?" Jude glared behind her, seeing a shocked Laxus, and a distracted Ivan.

A fist connected with his cheek, points digging into and cutting his face.

"Shut up...We finish this..."

The crowd was going insane. The fairies however became slightly distraught.

"I don't get it...why is Lucy's dad fighting Lucrezia?" Levy thought out loud...

The proverbial light bulb went off, for her at least. She threw herself to the railing, cheering her head off.

The rest, not about to left out, starting joining in.

"Who cares who they are? Just 'long as they're Fairies!"

The trade of blows between father and daughter were light but purposeful. She fought to keep her freedom, he fought to disable.

Laxus was too busy with Ivan's whining...

"Please we'll play like this never happened!"

"You hurt my family...and I crush those who dare do so." With a single solid punch, he was out of the count.

By the time he turned around. Lucy had knelt next her exhausted father...

"You know, somebody said to me a while ago, if you love somebody, you have to let them go...why can't you Father?"

"My baby girl..." He reached a hand for her face, eyes weary from unpracticed battle.

"Time to let go, daddy." She kicked his lights out.

Matou, the pumpkin guy, was trying to get something other than kapoh out of his mouth.

The rune knights came and swept off both the fathers, and a small construction team was already begun working on the wall, as the actual fight had been long since over.

"Well..." Matou rearranged his hat. "That was odd. But..."

The crowd leaned even harder against the railings.

"Show us who you really are, or be disqualified for false participation."

He pointed towards their hoods, which were still up.

They gave each other the look of two old friends meeting for the very first time in a very long time. They knew that the lacrima-camera was on them.

Still they turned to Fairy Tail's section, and with the flamboyance of the average champagne popper, off went the hoods.

Laxus still looked like Laxus, excepting a few, fine, disappearing scars. His hair however grew substantially, the longest of it reaching his shoulders, It was parted in the center, the outcast in the front still falling on his face.

Lucy's face was now stoic, the only thing expressive were her eyes, the color of warm cocoa seemed to warm even more at the sight of recognition by her friends. Her hair was wavy from the tight braid it had been in the night before, the locks now reaching the ends of her ribcage.

They'd looked like two travelers finally come home.

Do I need to say that the organized broom shoving that is Fairy Tail's massive, insane, party started right then and there?

Nah, y'all know how it is.

It ain't a party until somebody's making love to a broom. As long as it's not Sheila. Who? Oh, well ask Max about that, I..I'd rather not know.


End file.
